Going to visit the Monumental Cemetery in Milan , it may happen to see – among the graves – a few pairs of lively eyes which, set in a soft hairy body, closely monitor the situation.

They belong to the cats of the colony that inhabits this place rich in history and art , and which is cared for daily with love and dedication by volunteers, caretakers and patrons.

The cats of the Monumentale

The colony currently consists of 21 specimens, each with a name : Piripio, Bibi, Smilcia … these are just some examples of the cats that, every day twice a day, show up for the roll-call on the occasion of the “pappa-pappa “.

Everyone obviously has their own character and a different experience, which makes them more or less friendly towards humans: some are almost completely socialized, others keep a safe distance.

The feline colony – which lives in complete freedom in an immense and rich green space – is regularly registered and the cats are all sterilized .  For years, a group of volunteers have taken care of it, who in shifts go to fill the bowls and check that everything is okay.

For the system to function at its best, the contribution of the guardians – who promptly warn of any anomalies – and the reports of visitors to the Monumental Cemetery, who document the behavior of cats with photos and videos, are essential. 

How to offer your support

It is useless to deny it: compared to many of their peers, the strays of the Monumentale are lucky because they are known, cared for and loved. However, in some periods more than others, the support of citizens is needed to make sure that the cats in the colony live warm and healthy .

This year, in addition to winter, there is the lockdown that makes caring for small four-legged friends a little more difficult.

For this reason, on the Facebook and Instagram pages dedicated to the colony, posts with requests for help often appear – next to the shots depicting the wonderful feline inhabitants. It is possible to support volunteers:

• following the social pages of the project and sharing the published exams;
• through donations (everything is reported with the publication of photos and receipts);
• getting in touch with the volunteers themselves to understand the needs of the moment (old kennels, sweaters or blankets, for example, to shelter from the cold);
• bringing food (which can be delivered to the florist, right in front of the cemetery).

The visibility of the group is also useful for facilitating the adoption of stray or abandoned cats not belonging to the colony, to help humans whose four-legged companions have gone astray, and to support lesser known cats around the city. .

One more reason to visit the Monumental Cemetery

Spotting and cuddling the colony’s cats can become one more reason to enjoy a visit to the Monumental Cemetery in Milan : not only a place of mourning, but a real monument of Milanese life , and therefore dedicated to a wider audience. 

As in an open-air museum, through its sculptures and architecture you can retrace much of the artistic history of the city, representative of the greatest Italian masters, and pay homage to the great characters ( Alessandro Manzoni, Salvatore Quasimodo, Bruno Munari, Alda Merini, Dario Fo and Franca Rame are just a few) who rest within its perimeter.